WMCFW | Style Blog | Canadian Fashion and Lifestyle News

Toronto Fashion Week: Best of Spring 2016 Collections

14 February, 2016 Nelia 1 Comment

Let’s pretend it wasn’t -19 this weekend, and instead look forward to spring and spring fashion. Last season of Toronto Fashion Week was one of my absolute favourites, with Canadian designers showcasing some serious talent. And while some designers like Matthew Gallagher create made-to-order garments only, others like Hayley Elsaesser have online stores, where you can pick up your fave spring pieces very soon. As such, I put together a list of my favourite pieces from the shows I attended last season. Supporting Canadian fashion industry means investing in clothing made by Canadian designers, so next time you’re considering a special occasion purchase or looking to add some excitement to your wardrobe, give one of these amazing designers a try. You may just become a lifelong fan.

Hayley Elsaesser

Hayley Elsaesser has firmly established her reputation as the go-to for crazy-fun but wearable clothing. Her prints are always on point, and her Spring 2016 Carnival of Curiousity collection was both printastic and fabulous. Once again, Hayley cast models and non-models in a wide range of ages, sizes, and ethnicities for her runway show, proving that literally ANYONE can pull off her clothing. Standouts from her collection included rainbow-printed faux leather dress, poodle-printed everything, and “Admit One” sequin pieces.

Matthew Gallagher

For his Spring 2016 show, Matthew Gallagher sent a line-up of vibrant and luxurious garments, complete with floaty capes, sexy cutouts, and exaggerated skirts. The collection was seriously beautiful! Even Lady Gaga is a fan. The ribbon dress was my personal fave – both a piece of art and something I could see myself wearing comfortably and often. All garments are hand-crafted and made-to-measure in Gallagher’s Toronto studio. You can get in touch and order your very own gown here.

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What I Wore: WMCFW Outfit Roundup

24 November, 2015 Nelia 2 Comments

I’ve been meaning to share some of the street style photos of my outfits from WMCFW, and while it’s been over a month, I really love these photos, so I guess better late than never? This season, with my hair a shocking shade of blue, I had to be careful not to dress too crazy while still staying true to my playful spirit. Naturally, I gravitated to black and complimenting shades of blue, but I also ended up wearing colourful stripes one day, because why the heck not? Let me know which look is your fave in the comments.

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Toronto Fashion Week: Fall 2015 Favourites

30 September, 2015 Nelia Leave a Comment

WMCFW is coming, and while this season’s focus will be on Spring 2016 collections, I wanted to revisit last season’s shows, and share my Fall 2015 favourites. If you’re on the lookout for cool Canadian designs to invest in, perhaps you’ll find a few new faves as well.

Mikhael Kale
Mikhael Kale has long been at the top of my fave Canadian designer list, and still his Fall 2015 collection managed to exceed all of my expectations. Artful embellishments, creative shapes, a mix of textures and exciting colours – it was my favourite collection last season, and one I would almost go as far as to compare to couture – it looked exquisite! So far, I only own one Mikhael Kale piece, but I am certainly itching to add more from this incredibly talented designer. Select pieces from his Fall 2015 collection are available at Holt Renfrew, so make sure to check them out in person – I have no doubt that you’ll be impressed.

Hayley Elsaesser
Ever since I laid eyes on Hayley Elsaesser’s Spring 2015 Heavenly Bodies collection, I’ve been in love with her particular brand of eclectic maximalism. Her Fall 2015 Midnight Cowboy collection was true to her colourful aesthetic, full of fun prints executed on fairly classic silhouettes. There were matching knit crop top/skirt co-ordinates, bomber jackets, sweater dresses, and even a few things for the boys. I guess girls aren’t the only ones who want to have fun.

VAWK
It’s hard to believe that Sunny Fong’s fun but sophisticated ‘DOT du JOURS’ Fall 2015 collection was originally inspired by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. There’s no trace of silliness that defined the animated film; instead, the collection was sexy and vibrant – with flirty cocktail dresses, glam gowns, and Sunny’s specialty – cool coats. Rounded shapes (meatball-inspired?) were featured prominently, adding an architectural feel to the collection. Another great showing from one of my fave Canadian designers.

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Toronto Fashion Week: Best Beauty Looks from Fall 2015 Shows

13 April, 2015 Aleyda 1 Comment

Another season of World MasterCard Fashion Week has ended and as always, I am here to give you a quick recap on my favourite beauty looks from Fall 2015 shows and how to achieve them, so let’s get to it!

Hayley Elsaesser was the belle of the ball last season with her bright and quirky spring collection. And her “Midnight Cowboy” fall line was just as good – a combination of 70’s glamour with a touch of Uma Thurman from Kill Bill.

Grace Lee the Head Makeup Artist for Maybelline started her beauty look with a sheer natural palette using Dream Wonder Liquid Touch Foundation and Face Studio Master Prime in Blur + Illuminate all over the face. She then created a translucent smoky eye look using a mix of molten brown shades (Plum Fusion and Taupe Crazy) and added a highlight in the form of Color Tattoo’s Tenacious Teal to the center of the lower lid. The eyes were then finished off with Brow Drama and Lash Sensational Mascara. For the two-toned lips, Grace used Color Sensational Lipstick in Rebel Bloom first as the base and then Vivid Rose on the center of the lips to create an ombre effect.

Redken’s Head Stylist Jorge Joao decided to incorporate blocks of color to the hair to reflect Hayley’s vibrant style. Hair was primed with Pillow Proof and then flat ironed to sleek perfection. He then made two tight braids on each side, which were then wrapped around to created 2 side buns. The ends of the braids were left sticking upwards, creating an almost bird-like effect. The look was sealed with a healthy dose of Control Addict 28 to keep stray hair in place.

Essie’s Lead Nail Artist Rita Remark was inspired by the animal print Hayley had in her collection and decided to recreate it on models’ nails. By blotting one color on top of another she was able to create a fun yet versatile look. Rita used Naughty Nautical, Meet Me at Sunset, Butler Please and Mod Square to achieve this exciting combo.

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Toronto Fashion Week: Hayley Elsaesser Spring 2015 Collection

24 March, 2015 Nelia Leave a Comment

As I wrote last year, last season of WMCFW was one of the best…but if I’d made one mistake that week, it was not seeing the Hayley Elsaesser Spring 2015 show. I think it was late, I was tired, and apparently stupid, because Hayley’s collection was one of the highlights of Toronto Fashion Week last season. Full of gloriously fun printed pieces, the Heavenly Bodies collection was deliciously cheeky, yet wearable…and after perusing the photos the day after the show, I was mad at myself for not sticking around.

Well, this season, I’m not going to make the same mistake. Hayley Elsaesser’s Fall 2015 show is definitely one of my most highly-anticipated tickets of the season, and I can’t wait to see what this cool Canadian-born/Australian-educated designer has dreamed up this time around.

And since spring is technically here, I just wanted to let you know that a lot of Hayley’s Heavenly Bodies pieces are now available for pre-order. Sadly, at $970 I just can’t pull the trigger on my fave handsy sequin tee dress, but the mouthy maxi is much more affordable and just as cute.

What do you think of Hayley Elsaesser’s whimsical collection? Are you into it? Share in the comments.

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Toronto Fashion Week: Best Beauty Looks From Spring 2015 Shows

21 November, 2014 Aleyda Leave a Comment

Another season of World MasterCard Fashion Week came and went in a whirlwind of lipstick and hairspray and I am here you give you a quick recap of the most noteworthy looks of Spring 2015.

Make Up

Haley Elsaesser had one of the more unique looks of the week. Haley’s “Heavenly Bodies” collection reflected a very bright, sparkly mix of pastel colours and prints. To prep the skin, Maybelline’s Head Makeup Artist Grace Lee used Dream Finish BB Cream, making the skin look smooth and flawless. After highlighting the bridge of the nose, top cheekbones and eyes, she finished the look with two-toned red and pink lips. Color Whisper in Faint for Fuchsia was applied on the top lip and Color Whisper Oh La Lilac on the bottom.
Star Product: Maybelline’s Color Whisper in Faint for Fuchsia and Oh La Lilac

Matthew Gallagher’s collection was inspired by the “Rebirth of Spring”, so the make-up reflected this through a mix of soft nude/bronze colours. Skin was made to look fresh and dewy with Dream Wonder Liquid Touch Foundation, contoured with bronzer and then highlighted (with focus on the top of the cheekbones and underneath the brow). Lash Sensational Mascara was applied generously on the lashes, with the final touch of Color Elixir by Color Sensational in Breathtaking Apricot lightly blotted off to give it a worn-in look.
Star Products: Lash Sensational Mascara in Black and Color Elixir by Color Sensational in Breathtaking Apricot

Mackage’s inspiration came from “a hip well-traveled girl on the go”. Smooth, matte skin created the perfect palette for this natural look. Eyes were kept simple, yet strong with a coat of Great Lash Mascara and the new Eye Studio Brow Drama gel on the eyebrows (a new favorite product of mine) to create a strong brow. The lips were the unique part, with Grace creating an ombre look using Color Sensational Creamy Matte in Magenta as the base all over the lips and then taking Color Whisper in Oh Lilac and gently blotting it on the center of the lips. Natural, but really cool.
Also, noteworthy was the fresh take on the models’ nails with Essie’s Lead Nail Artist Rita Remark taking blue polish and placing a dot on the half-moon at the base of the nail. Fun and easy!
Star Products: Eye Studio Brow Drama in Dark Brown

Best Hair Looks after the jump!
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What I Wore: Solange, Coco, and Minnie…Oh My!

5 November, 2014 Nelia 7 Comments

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Another WMCFW season has come and gone, and this time I found myself at the tents every single day, and saw more shows than I normally would have. As such, my full fashion week recap is going to be up sometime next week, with my fave new designers, outstanding pieces, and fave collections, as well as the beauty recap from our contributor Aleyda. But for now, here’s a post about all of the fun outfits I wore to the tents last month.

Thanks to a slew of wonderful photographers like Ania Boniecka, Aleyah Solomon, Jenna Marie Wakani, Ryan Emberley and Stefania Yarhi, among others, I was able to document every look from a variety of angles and lenses…candid and not. It’s a bit of an exercise in narcissism, but hey, this is a style blog, what did you expect?! Let’s get to it, shall we?

On day 1, I ran into the lovely Talia Brown, and we were snapped together for FLARE Magazine. I didn’t bother with my outfit on day 1 – mainly because I had a very intense day at the office, so I simply swapped my ankle booties for a pair of ALDO heels, and my work bag for an ela clutch, and that was it.

After the shows, we were treated to a VIP party courtesy of Joe Fresh, with Solange Knowles on turntables. We were literally inches away from this stylish beauty, but I’m still not sure if waiting nearly 3 hours for the privilege was worth it. My feet were crying by the time I got home.

xx, attends the Joe Fresh Cocktail event on Monday, October 20th, 2014. solange-toronto-joe-fresh-style-blog-nelia-belkova

On Day 2, I actually managed to change out of my office clothes, and into a fun faux leather overalls from H&M. Knowing that a Minnie Mouse party was in the cards, I made sure to grab my trusty sequinned Minnie ears, which completed my look that day. To add a bit of Canadian flare to my outfit, I wore one of my fave falconwright clutches to the tents.

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Toronto Fashion Week: Fall 2014 Roundup

9 April, 2014 Nelia 8 Comments

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I suppose it’s not a bad thing that spring is taking its sweet time getting here, because last month’s Toronto Fashion Week Fall 2014 shows feel as relevant as ever. Even if I am getting quite fed up with my winter clothes, I wouldn’t mind wrapping myself in some covet-worthy leather jackets, beautiful printed dresses, and fuzzy mohair sweaters that I saw on the runways in March. This season, thanks to Best Buy Canada and VIVA Beauty from Best Buy, I was fully prepared for the craziness of fashion week – my survival kit included a fancy Canon DSLR camera, complete with a brand new SD card, and some beauty goodies to get me through the week looking fresh – it was a lifesaver! This season, I also didn’t attempt being in several places at the same time, but selected a few days and a few designers to support, and I have to say that it really worked out well for me. I didn’t feel as burnt out as usual, and I still got to see and shoot some amazing Canadian designers at work.

One of the highlights of my week was Beaufille. The latest collection from Chloe and Parris Gordon was full of standout pieces worthy of a good catfight. Loose silhouettes, paired with cleverly placed slits and hook-and-eye embellishments, embossed leather and of course the piece that stole my heart – the red moto jacket of my dreams – it was all very wearable, modern, and oozed the cool factor. Definitely my favourite collection from the Canadian sisters. The only thing I hate about this is the fact that I’ll have to wait forever (6-8 months) to get my hands on my fave pieces.

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As usual, the Joe Fresh show was complete and utter mayhem. Even without a top model headliner, the show was packed, with people spilling out of their seats, and for good reason too. Once again, Joe Mimran showed a collection of affordable pieces that still managed to get hearts racing, and that will pretty soon be available not only in Canada and the US, but in 23 other countries worldwide! Not too shabby for a brand that began at a grocery store, non?

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But despite the big expansion news, Joe Fresh Fall 2014 collection was as Canadian as they come, what with a ton of cute jackets (wool, moto, puffers, you name it!), intarsia sweaters, and faux fur dominating most of the looks. But perhaps because winter and I, we are done professionally, my personal faves were the lovely dresses printed with ethereal images of landscapes and nature. Once these hit the stores, be prepared to fight me for them. Elbows up, ladies!

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Pink Tartan Fall 2014 was another collection quite heavily influenced by Canadian winters. While Kim Newport-Mimran stuck to her signature ladylike aesthetic, she mixed in a few unexpected patterns and fabrics, making this one of my favourite Pink Tartan collections ever (with the exception of this one).

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The collection was very “glam cocktail hour at the chalet”, what with cozy intarsia sweaters, black and red buffalo check, fur stoles, and ginormous fur mittens, mixed with full skirts, metallic dresses, and leather pants. Practical and chic? I would like one of each, please and thank you.

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Always a personal favourite, Mackage Fall 2014 show definitely did not disappoint. With scattered faux maple leafs lining the runway, the models rocked some of the best outerwear pieces I’ve seen all week. Clearly, co-creative directors of the brand Elisa Dahan and Eran Elfassy know what Canadians both want and need from their winter wares – style and function, and boy did they deliver!

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Fur trims, quilted leather everything, pops of fuchsia, Black Watch tartan pieces, oh my! It was unfair how good everything looked…and also quite dangerous for my wallet. And don’t even get me started on their bags! Simply put…this collection was the bomb-dot-com.

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Toronto Fashion Week: Best Hair and Makeup Looks For Fall 2014

28 March, 2014 Aleyda 1 Comment

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Greetings Lovely Readers! Toronto Fashion Week has officially wrapped up and although I’m still exhausted, it was a phenomenal experience watching the hair and makeup “magic” happen backstage.

Here are my favourite hair and makeup looks from the Fall 2014 season of WMCFW, with some handy tips on how you can achieve the same results at home. Enjoy!

Hair by Redken

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Pink Tartan hair was one of my absolute favourites last week. The collection told the story of a Canadian girl living a normal everyday life so the hair reflected that natural and lived-in look. The hair was set off-centre, with soft waves and looked pretty without looking structured. They really wanted the hair to have movement, making it look effortless.

Star Products: Pillow Proof Primer, Forceful 23 Super Strength Finishing Spray

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As a huge fan of Joe Fresh, I was very excited to see what the fall hair would look like. For hair, Joe wanted to have a more bohemian feel so the models wore a dishevelled side braid with lots of texture. Again, they didn’t want it looking too polished but rather wanted something with more of a grunge feeling with soft wisps framing the face. One great tip that Jorge Joao, Lead Stylist for Redken gave us was to take the elastic and tie the hair at the top before you start the braid. Once you are done, cut the top elastic so your hair and braid looks fuller and not as structured. The big focus of this look was to make the models look chic and effortless.

Star Products: Pillow Proof Primer, Redken Fashion Waves 07

Narces

Narces hair had more of a classic feel to it. It was all about being sleek, stylish, but again without looking like you spent hours doing your hair. As a result, sleeked back, smooth hair was pulled into a classic small bun at the base of the head. As with other looks, hair was once again primed with Pillow Proof Primer, prepped with mousse for texture and then finished off with Forceful 23 Super Strength Finishing Spray to get rid of flyaways and give the hairstyle that polished sleek finish. Definitely a look you can wear to the office or after work for some drinks!

Star Products: Pillow Proof Primer, Redken Full Frame 07 Volumizing Mousse Foam, Forceful 23 Super Strength Finishing Spray

More after the jump!

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What I Wore: WMCFW

24 March, 2014 Nelia 2 Comments

Toronto Fashion Week has come and gone, and while I am incredibly thankful to have been able to attend some amazing shows, witness backstage magic first-hand, and meet so many interesting (and oftentimes talented) people…I have to say that by Day 5, I was wiped out. Even three days of fashion shows combined with my 9-5 was enough to require a weekend of R&R, which is exactly what the doctor prescribed. I’m the doctor, in case you are wondering.

And while I’m still working on my #WMCFW coverage, I thought I’d share my fashion week outfits. From my red ALDO shoes, to my Joe Fresh coordinates, to my fave falconwright clutch, I tried to infuse Canadian and Canadian-made pieces into my outfits for each day of fashion week, as captured by the amazing street style photographers Mauricio Calero and Max Kopanygin. Thanks, boys!